Bannockburns

Scottish Independence and Literary Imagination, 1314-2014

How writers imagined the idea of Scottish independence over 700 years

Poet and critic Robert Crawford explores in eloquent detail the literary-cultural background to Scottish nationalism in the lead-up to the referendum on independence for Scotland in September 2014. He begins with the totemic Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, in which the Scots routed the English and preserved their independence until the two nations peacefully united in 1707. Continuing up to the present day, he examines how writers have set out in poetry, fiction, plays and on film the ideal of Scottish independence. Publication coincides with the 700-year anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, 1314-2014.

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This engagingly written volume begins with an English poet-in-residence at the 1314 battle. The book then traces how that famous victory has been interpreted and reinterpreted imaginatively. It moves from vivid medieval epics in several languages through the Romantic political imagination of Robert Burns to the striking part played by twenty-first-century poets, novelists, and dramatists in creative attempts to answer the 2014 question: ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’

Here are the nationalist poetry of Hugh MacDiarmid and the gore of Braveheart and Black Watch; the Surrey novelist who celebrates Scotland’s political freedom in her international best-seller, and the bisexual Jewish American who develops a nuanced theory of Scottish nationalism in opposition to the oppressive rhetoric of fascism. Bannockburns concludes with a spirited discussion of literature and Scotland's 2014 referendum. From The Bruce to contemporary literature and modern-day campaigning, Bannockburns is revelatory.

Contents

About the Author

Robert Crawford’s seven collections of poetry include A Scottish Assembly (1990) and Full Volume (2008). His biography of Robert Burns, The Bard (2009) won the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year Award, His other books include Scotland’s Books (2007) and On Glasgow and Edinburgh (2013). Professor of Modern Scottish Literature and Bishop Wardlaw Professor of Poetry at the University of St Andrews, he is writing a biography of T. S. Eliot.

Reviews

"Excellent"- Andrew Marr, New Statesman

Insights abound in this fascinating and original book, as Crawford takes us on a long and stimulating literary journey from medieval times to the present and the momentous decision which will soon face the Scottish nation. Truly a tract for our times.

- Tom Devine, University of Edinburgh

An agile and dynamic study, which places the Scottish question in its international context; Crawford reimagines the nation in ways which should interest everyone.

With characteristic brio, Crawford, traces the diverse stories of independence. A forceful reminder of just how deeply entwined are the literary imagination and the political imaginary.

- Janet Sorensen, University of California, Berkeley

Shining with intelligence and wit.

- Neal Ascherson

A work of passionate, committed scholarship. Comprehensive, daring, wide-reaching in the imaginative connections it makes across the centuries between different "freedoms", "independences" and concepts of nationhood itself. Enjoyable, readable and very timely.